‘Cold’ helps MCL38
And the McLaren to clearly show off in the third free practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix and to seriously apply for the places that count both for qualifying and for the race. The still warm temperature, but less “desert” than the first day seems to marry perfectly the single-seater of the Woking team, which now appears decidedly at ease even when it is necessary to protect the rear end and even when the track is more than 20 degrees.
Norris appeared to be the absolute dominator on the track, immediately followed by Piastri, but one cannot fail to note not only the British driver’s time but also the ease with which he obtained it and the “phase” of advantage he constantly had over all the competition, gradually setting limits that were unattainable for the others. Max Verstappen with the RB20 updated it still appeared in good shape and with a decidedly car balancedalthough perhaps slightly lacking at the rear, and hopes alternatively for rain or the power of the ex-Honda Power Unit to make up for a significant gap.
Let’s see the comparison of the data of McLaren, RedBull, Mercedes and Ferrari to give us a better idea.
McLaren strong everywhere, RedBull suffers a bit with changes of direction
Given the data, there is no doubt that the Woking car is the most complete. Fast in the slow corners, close in the fast ones, with super traction that makes itself felt when exiting turn 3 and turn 11 and with the best feedback in all the passages of the central sector, where Norris trims more than 2 tenths to all the competition. In these conditions, the opportunity for the British driver seems really tempting, especially because Piastri could be nearby, who would be a potential help for the race. The Red Bull (of Verstappen) still proves to be an excellent car, but in some passages, especially in traction and in changes of direction, it seems inferior to the McLaren, which temporarily condemns it to almost 3 tenths of a gap. If the engine power in qualifying can help the reigning World Champion, it will certainly be in traction, but the reactivity in the central sector and the passage on the kerbs could still remain a problem. The challenge for pole and victory seems all here in any case, always considering the unknown rain.
Mercedes further away, Ferrari charged but slow
Behind the leaders we find Ferrari and Mercedes. The W15 continues to not seem at ease on the Hungarian track, both due to the conformation of the track and the temperatures. The impression is that in the conditions of maximum load the aerodynamic efficiency of the Brackley single-seater is decidedly inferior, with particularly poor performance in acceleration. Another hypothesis is also that the engine unit developed in Brixworth still suffers from a cooling system that is not perfectly effective, which would force the engineers to be more parsimonious with torque and power expressed, unlike McLaren, which despite the same engine does not seem to have any problems. Unless it rains, the weekend for Hamilton and Russell does not seem to be able to offer opportunities on a par with the previous two, surprises aside obviously. As for the Maranello team instead This free practice session leaves some serious concernsThe indices we calculated show, as we hoped in the analysis after the first day, an SF24 that has improved in terms of aerodynamic load, but which still suffers significantly in some corners. The two fast corners of the track, 4 and 11, are points of sensational loss for Carlos Sainz, who passes through them with a 10 and 9 km/h delay from the best.. Also the last two corners are on the edge of dramatic with 6 and 9 km/h of difference in the gap from Norris who rises violently, with evident steps in the graph. Putting together these findings with the positive statements after the first day by Vasseur and the drivers and with a package that on a track like this should definitely offer an extra edge can only arouse alarmed reactions for the red team. In fact, it is one thing to be perhaps not the leading force but very close to the top, it is another thing to find yourself with such evident difficulties, at risk of being overtaken in qualifying for example by Haas. It remains to be considered that compared to what was seen on the first day, as mentioned above, the impression is that a point of balance was sought that was more oriented towards the race than the single lap, but some deficiencies in the fast (turns 4 and 11), in the medium fast (turns 5 and 10) and at the end of the lap (turns 13 and 14) are not justifiable and they even put both cars’ entry into Q3 at risk. Obviously, these are impressions from free practice, net of fuel loads and power outputs, an aspect that could reserve more than one surprise. All that remains is to observe what happens in qualifying to finally have concrete feedback on the values on the field in this important weekend.
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